


The Flash Tumblr Prompts

by Kariki



Series: The Flash Prompt Fills [1]
Category: The Flash (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Bad Pickup Lines, Barry ruining everything with Time Travel, Camping, D&D, Drunk Hartley, Family Reunion, Found Family, Gen, Hartley Apologies, Hartley is nice and it's weird, Hartley is stubborn, Hartley may or may not be a hipster, Hartley never had a support system guys, Hartley still loves his asshole parents, Hartley's seen enough horror movies to know camping is bad, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Mentioned Hypothermia, Mistaken Identity, Most of these will be Hartley centric, Mpreg, Offscreen character death, PTSD, Pregnancy, Prompt Fic, Rough Sex (mentioned), Second Timeline, Shovel Talk, Sick Fic, Sorry Not Sorry, Tattoos, The Rathaways are Dicks, Things I do instead of working, Trans Character, Trans Hartley, clothes swapping, dimension hopping shenanigans, it's a game changer, original timeline, protective!Len, tags added as needed, talk of conversion therapy, why u do dis cisco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-22 06:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7424197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariki/pseuds/Kariki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of Prompt Fills, mostly featuring Hartley Rathaway because I have a one track mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gen - Hartley Apologizes to Cisco for being an asshole

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, if you're still taking prompts- could you maybe do one for the flash?? Something about a newly reformed Hartley from the new timeline (the one before Barry saved his mum) interacting with Cisco, possibly him apologising for how he treated Cisco- but it doesn't need to be about that. Also, if there were hints to Hartmon that would be awesome! But if you don't write/ship Hartmon, you don't need to add that in, thank you!!
> 
>  
> 
> Takes place during the episode 'Tricksters'.

Hartley slumped forward over the desk, his arms coming up to cover his head and hide his face. The cold, hard panic and stress that had been fueling him was suddenly gone, leaving him exhausted and weak but the relief coursing through him was all encompassing - if he had been standing, he was sure he would have fallen to his knees. 

The Flash had administered the antidote in time, everyone at the fundraiser was going to be fine... including the Rathaways.

"Hey, you okay?" Hartley lifted his head slightly, just enough to get a blurry glimpse of Cisco's converse. Hartley nodded, running a hand over his eyes and hoped it looked like he was just tired rather than crying like a child because his parents were alright. 

"I'm fine..."

Cisco didn't look like he bought it. Instead, he held up the damn cuffs with a sad smile. "Sorry..."

Hartley bit back a sigh and held out his hands so Cisco could slap the damn cuffs on again and lead him back down to the pipeline. 

"And, uh... Thanks," Hartley looked up even as Cisco tried to avoid looking at him. "For helping with the bomb... and then the other bomb... and the antidote..."

Hartley didn't answer right away. His first inclination was to say something like 'of course I would help' or maybe even 'you needed it', neither of which would be particularly helpful... or nice. He settled for a quiet "Of course," and left it at that. He tried to ignore Cisco and Caitlin's smiles and Well's watchful eyes as he and Cisco left the cortex.

For the first, and hopefully only, time, Hartley was looking forward to the enclosed space of his tiny prison. The privacy, such as it was with the cameras, was something he desperately wanted at the moment.

"There's something I want to know," Cisco started, breaking the quiet of their walk to the pipeline. Hartley tried not to sigh. "Why do you care?"

"... What?" Hartley frowned, looking over at Cisco, the first spark of a fire igniting in his chest."Why do I care about what?"

"You're parents," Cisco avoided looking at him again, his brown eyes straight forward. "I mean... they disowned you. When you were a _minor_. I don't know, it just seems... odd."

"They're my parents, Cisco," Hartley shrugged, feeling the offended anger from second before seeping out of him. "They're family... I still care about them even if... besides, I don't want people getting hurt."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that," Cisco muttered, possibly too low for anyone other then Hartley to hear. 

"Cisco," Hartley stopped walking, forcing Cisco to stop as well. 

The last few weeks had been harder than Hartley had ever imagined. Trying to kill Harrison Wells, finding out _another_ of his horrible secrets, plotting to kill the Flash only to be attacked by something out Harry Potter, and now, occasionally working with his former enemies and rivals while being imprisoned underneath the building that had been like a home to him. Life was suppose to be strange but this seemed a little much. A few weeks ago, he'd have killed himself rather than do what he's about to do...

"Cisco," He started again once the other was looking at him. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." Cisco stared at him. Hartley felt something that might have been panic creeping into his chest. "For the way I treated you when we worked together before... it was uncalled for and unprofessional and... I'm sorry."

Cisco blinked, frowned, then looked around them as though looking for hidden cameras. He finally looked back at Hartley. "For real?"

Hartley nodded, staring down at his bound hands.

"What brought this on?" Cisco asked, frowning. "I mean, it's totally warranted just very... unexpected?"

"I had a lot of time to think," Hartley shrugged, still studying the blue LEDs of his cuffs. "I was never much of a social person to begin with and you were as good as Wells said you were. I was just..." He paused to think of a good word to describe what he had been feeling.

"Threatened?" Cisco supplied with a smirk. And yeah, that was the word he was avoiding.

Hartley gave him a half-hearted glare.

"You were threatened by me?" Cisco grinned like it was Christmas morning.

"You know what, I take it back." Hartley started back down the hallway toward the pipeline.

"Nope! No backsies!" Cisco jogged up beside him, still grinning. After a moment, the grin faded. "But seriously... I'm sorry too. I saw that you hated me and I didn't really do much to change that."

"You didn't need to, you had every right..."

"I know, I know," Cisco ran a hand through his hair, "I'm just saying that I'm not exactly innocent in that either. I never liked people judging me before they get to know me so I never actually tried to be nice back..."

The door to the pipeline opened and they stepped through. Cisco stared out to where the prison cells were brought over with a small look of guilt. It was something Hartley had started noticing on the faces of Team Flash whenever they brought him back down here... all of them except Wells.

"Cisco?" Hartley held out his hands to be uncuffed. "I... thanks. For helping save my parents."

"Don't worry about it," Cisco smiled, shaking his head as he stuffed the handcuffs into his pocket. "Anytime."

Hartley nodded, ignoring the shaking in his hands as he stepped into his cell and the glass doors closed behind him. He turned to look back out, meeting Cisco's gaze (had his eyes always been that warm?) and offered him a small smile.

"Good night, Cisco."

"... Night, Hart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	2. Hartmon - Hartley is nice and Cisco doesn't know what to do about that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I have a prompt! :D Hartmon - The first time Cisco sees Hartley be good or kind to someone. (Sleep well!)

"That is just too weird."

Hartley looked up over the little girl's head, raising an eyebrow at Cisco's tone. 

"What?" he asked, keeping his voice low to avoid waking the sleeping child.

" _You _," Cisco shook his head, eyes wide. "You and a kid and the kid isn't screaming in terror."__

__Hartley rolled his eyes. It had been a long, weird day already. What was suppose to be a normal, everyday bank robbery had turned into a hostage situation and then a kidnapping once the robber realized he wasn't getting out without a hostage. Between the Flash and the Pied Piper, the guy hadn't gotten very far._ _

__Ideally, it would have ended there - the little girl returned to her parents and her kidnapper in jail... except the little girl's parents weren't in the bank. They were no where to be found, in fact, and the girl was too young and upset to be of any help in finding them._ _

__She had also claimed Piper as her own personal teddy bear and hadn't let go of him since her rescue... which brought them to why Hartley was in a quiet backroom in the police. It did not, however, explain why Cisco was here, staring in disbelief._ _

__"Don't wake her," Hartley hissed back as the girl shifted position in his lap, cuddling closer as she all but hid in his cape. "Why are you here?"_ _

__"Well, Barry told us what happened," Cisco shrugged, kneeling down beside the chair Hartley was currently trapped in. "I just had to see this for myself."_ _

__Hartley rolled his eyes though he doubted Cisco could tell with the dark green goggles he wore. The goggles were starting to chafe the bridge of his nose but removing them wasn't an option. They were in a crowded police station in an unlocked room - anyone could come in._ _

__"I'll have you know I'm actually very good with kids," Hartley said._ _

__"Or she has odd taste. Maybe she likes green." Cisco smirked, sitting down on the floor. "It's just weird, is all. I never expected to see you so... _nice_."_ _

__"I'm trying not to be offended."_ _

__"Just saying!" Cisco laughed, leaning forward to kiss Hartley's knee. "Next you'll be volunteering at soup kitchens or something."_ _

__"I already do that."_ _

__"Yeah, sure," Cisco laughed for a moment before trailing off. "Wait, seriously?"_ _

__"Every major holiday. Sometimes on weekends I know I have free..."_ _

__"Dude, we've been dating for a month and you throw this at me..." Cisco shook his head in disbelief. "What, do you rescue kittens from trees too?"_ _

__"No," Hartley smiled over the sleeping girl's head. "I'm afraid of heights."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	3. Hartmon - Hartley hates camping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Science boyfriends prompt: Hartley and Cisco go camping. Hartley has never had a normal holiday in his life, Cisco is very good at setting up the tent (he's an engineer~) and really not much else. Fun!

"How have you never been camping?" Cisco demanded as he spread out the tarp that was to, somehow, become their shelter for the next few days.

"How have you?" Hartley shot back, sitting on the dirty log across from the fire pit and the tent. "I thought you were a city kid as much as me..."

"Dad liked it," Cisco shrugged, sorting through the plastic rods. "And it's fun. You do know what fun is, right?"

"Fun is something that happens in air conditioned buildings," Hartley muttered, crossing his arms as he watched Cisco work. "They make movies about what happens to people that go camping. It usually involves some undead killer in a hockey mask."

"You're seen Friday the 13th?" Cisco looked ecstatic.

Hartley groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"And not just the first one since you know Jason is undead!" Cisco was beaming now. "That's it, Jason Marathon when we get back!"

"You've completely missed my point."

"I got your point," Cisco said, joining together the rods. "You're a buzzkill. And if I can live without electronics for a few days, so can you. It'll be fun. Hiking, fishing, swimming..."

"Getting attacked by bugs, stand around smelly water trying to catch slimy things, getting in the water so you too can smell like a slimy thing..."

Cisco rolled his eyes.

"What did your family used to do then? On vacation?"

"Normal things."

"Oh?" Cisco had to hear this. "Like what?"

"We had a house in Coast City for summers... and one in Miami." Cisco stopped what he was doing and turned to stare pointedly at Hartley. Hartley continued, a bit more weakly this time. "And one in France... with a fully staffed yacht..."

"Dude, there is nothing normal about any of that." Cisco laughed, walking over to kiss the pout of Hartley's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	4. Hartmon - Len is overprotective and gives Cisco 'the Talk'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Idea (Flash CW): The Rogues are a big family, so of course they get a little protective when they find out that one of their youngest (Hartley) is found out to be seeing Cisco romantically. Set in a universe where Season 2 Episode 17 never happened and Hartley ended up joining the rogues after his 2 debut episodes. (Because you asked for Prompts. Have a good day!)

The warehouse was in the outskirts of Central City, out of the way, more than a little rundown but surrounded by other warehouses just as run down. A bit cliche, of course, but there was a reason for the trope - no one hangs around old warehouses. 

Which is why the door to theirs should not be opening in the middle of the night. Len glanced away from the blueprints of the Central City Modern Art Museum, listening to the faint metallic sounds of the door closing and then footsteps. He turned off the lamp and stood, the ice gun already in his hand as he crept toward the door.

"It's me, Snart." Fucking Rathaway. The kid could hear a cop coming from down the street but damn if it wasn't annoying the rest of the time. Still, saved the kid from getting a face full of ice.

Len rolled his eyes and flipped the lights back on... then paused. Then smirked.

Hartley, for lack of a better word, looked absolutely wrecked. It looked like he had taken a punch to the right side of his face, his lip was cut, and his clothes were torn... if weren't for the fact his hair was messed up, his lips kiss swollen, and the marks on his neck that couldn't be anything other than bites and hickeys, Len might have believed he was in a real fight.

"Shut up," Hartley glowered up at him before he could speak.

"Not my business what you do in your free time," Len held up his hands, still smirking. "Just didn't think you were the type to like it rough."

Hartley glared at him but the red in his cheeks had nothing to do with the future bruises he was sure to have.

"I'm going to bed," Hartley informed him coolly, stalking past him. 

Len reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. "No, you're not."

"Really?" Hartley looked down at the hand on his arm then up at Len. "It's nothing."

"I'll decide that," Len released him and crossed his arms, before leaning against the door frame. "Who is he and how often do you plan on hatefucking him?"

"Who said it was a hatefuck?" Hartley asked, not meeting Len's amused gaze.

"Don't usually punch the people you sleep with unless you hate them," Len looked at Hartley closely, studying him for a moment. "Or do Mick and I have to go fuck someone up?"

" _No_ ," Hartley said, voice sharp. "And I didn't get punched..." Len quirked an eyebrow. "It was more a backhand."

"Of course, my mistake," Len said dryly. 

"I gave as good as I got," Hartley rolled his eyes. "Cisco isn't much of a fighter..."

"Cisco? Ramon? One of Flash's buddies?" Len felt a headache starting to form just behind his left eye. Perfect. First Lisa and now Hartley. "Thought you hated each other."

"Like you said... Hatefuck." Hartley shrugged a shoulder, suddenly interested in the floor. "Look, I didn't plan it, alright? I just needed to get something out of Star Labs - shut up, let me finish - and he found me out and confronted me over it. We started fighting and then..."

"Then you weren't." Len pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I don't care that you fucked. I do care about whatever heat you've just brought down on us. What'd you steal from Star Labs?"

"I didn't _steal_ anything," Hartley protested, actually looking offended at the accusation. "Look, it's the blue prints to a flute I was tinkering with when I still worked at STAR Labs. It can alter people's brainwaves if played correctly and I doubt Cisco even knew what it was for since it just looked like a normal flute. Besides, it was mine to begin with."

"I doubt the Flash is going to see it that way."

"If Flasher comes up asking about it, I'll deal with it then," Hartley shook his head, "and that's _if_ Cisco tells him about it."

"Flash comes asking about it, you're dealing with it on your own," Len warned him.

"Fine." Hartley nodded curtly, anger visibly simmering in his eyes. "We done?"

"Nope," Len smirked as Hartley glared at him. "Cisco Ramon? Really?"

"I'm not talking to you about that." Hartley pushed himself off the wall and started down toward his room. "It was just sex anyway."

"Good, keep it that way," Len said after him. Hartley stopped and looked back at him, eyes narrowed. "Keep it just sex. Love is too messy, especially when it's an enemy."

"...Fine," Hartley nodded once before disappearing through a door.

* * *

Over the next few months, it wasn't unusual for Hartley to disappear for a few hours only to come back looking nothing short of a mess, to everyone's amusement. He might have been the youngest of them but Hartley was a grown man and he could do what he liked. If getting into a fight with his old work rival then fucking him in an alleyway was how he got his rocks off, so be it. As long as the work didn't suffer for it, (and as long as Hartley didn't get himself seriously hurt), it didn't matter.

Besides, the flute turned out to be worth it in the end.

It didn't last.

Harrison Wells died (to Hartley's immense relief), a singularity opened up over the city, doppelgangers from another universe started showing up, and Hartley stopped showing up in the middle of the night with cuts and bruises.

He started showing up in the mornings instead, looking for all the world like someone had hung the moon for him.

Len didn't like it.

Sex was one thing, love was another beast entirely. Even the rough, punch-drunk sex Hartley and the Ramon kid had been having was safer than actual love. Love was a distraction, love was dangerous, love could completely destroy you.

Which is why Len and Mick found themselves sitting in a dark room in the middle of the night, waiting for it's owner to return so that they could have a little... chat.

Rough sex was fine - actual dating required a stern warning and threats of bodily harm. 

There was the jingling of keys and Len looked across the room to where Mick was leaning against the wall. The pyro's hand was busy flicking a zippo lighter on and off.

"Showtime," Len grinned, hoisting his own gun up to rest against his shoulder. "Let's have that chat with Mr. Ramon, shall we?"

The kid better appreciate this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out, Hartley did not appreciate it. Oops.
> 
> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	5. Gen - Cisco finds out Hartley has casual clothes and his brain malfunctions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hartley has very strong opinions on what is work appropriate so it takes Cisco literal years to figure out Hartley actually listens to all kinds of music not just classical and wears (a bit) more casual clothing when not at work. Cisco just kind of assumed he'd unplug and go into sleep-mode after work, seeing Hartley exist IRL is kind of blowing his mind and he maybe spies on him a little-lot. (He sees him at a concert? He needs to bring something by Hartley's place? Something else?) Xx
> 
>  
> 
> Headcanon: Hartley dresses like an unpaid intern on his days off. That's what you meant by 'a bit more casual', right?

Headcanon: Hartley dresses like an unpaid intern on his days off. That's what you meant by 'a bit more casual', right?

 

Cisco loved working at STAR Labs, a certain coworker being the exception, but there were days where he just wanted to go home and _relax_. No deadlines, no faulty parts that need to be replaced, and no Hartley Rathaway, just him and Netflix. 

God, his life was sad, now that he thought about it.

At least today wasn't as bad as it could have been. Caitlin and Ronnie had invited him out for drinks after work and Hartley had left around noon on a paid half day but not before getting annoyed at Cisco's latest t-shirt (featuring the glory that was Rainbow Darth Vader).

"Yeah, I'm just heading off now," Cisco walked through the halls toward the cortex, his phone to his ear. "Just need to grab my coat and I'll..." There was someone in the cortex. There shouldn't be anyone in the cortex. Whoever it was was ben over one of the main computers, typing hurriedly at a keyboard. It obviously wasn't one of the other scientists, no one else wore jeans and t-shirts to work except him. RENT... that was a musical, wasn't it? "Hold on a sec, Cait." Cisco lowered the phone and approached the man. "Hey, can I help you?"

The man on the computer froze in a classic "oh, shit, I've been caught" fashion before looking over his shoulder at Cisco.

Cisco stared.

"What is it, Cisco?" Hartley Rathaway snapped, looking back at the computer screen.

Cisco continued to stare. Hartley looked away from the computer again to glare at him. 

"What?"

"Who are you and what did you do to Hartley?" Cisco asked, feeling numb. "Or did I walk into an alternative dimension without realizing it? Is this the Twilight Zone?"

"Computer crashed when Conway was putting in data and he couldn't get to the backup," Hartley looked back at the screen.

"Why didn't he come to me?" Cisco frowned, edging closer to the Possibly-Still-Not-Hartley. "I could have brought it up for him..."

"No, you couldn't. They're password protected and only department heads have access." Hartley typed away without looking up at him again.

"Okay, you're definitely Hartley," Cisco said, earning himself a quick glare. "That just leaves one question: What the actual fuck?!"

Hartley sighed and stood up to glare at Cisco properly. "I'm busy, Cisco, and I have plans for tonight that I'd rather not miss."

"No, no, no, after all the crap you give me about my shirts, I walk in here to see you _wearing a t-shirt_." Cisco shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. This was just... unbelievable. Maybe he can get a picture for Caitlin when Hartley's back is turned.

"How the hell did you get a job here?" Hartley rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer. "Yes, I wear t-shirts. Know where I don't wear them? At work."

"Um, where do you think you are now?"

"I was called in," Hartley shook his head. "Given a choice, I wouldn't be wearing this here but since this _should_ only take five minutes, I wasn't going to run home, change, go back, and change again." Hartley finished typing as he spoke, hitting the last few keys with much more force than necessary. "There. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do besides fixing someone else's mess."

Cisco stared as Hartley stood (Oh, god, are those converse he's wearing?!) and walked past Cisco, bumping his shoulder on the way. Cisco could only watch him leave (oh, god, skinny jeans. What the fuck!?)

"Cisco? Cisco, are you still there?" Caitlin's tinny voice came from the phone still clutched in Cisco's hand.

He slowly brought it up to his ear.

"Sorry, Caitlin, I don't think I can make it for drinks tonight. Something's come up..."

"Is everything alright?" Cisco could hear the concern in her voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine... something interesting just happened and I want to see more of it..."

* * *

The club was bright, crowded, and completely _not_ what Cisco was expecting when he followed Hartley inside. Band posters covered the walls, tattoos covered a lot of the people, and Cisco was pretty sure he had, once again, stepped into the Twilight Zone.

This was just... not the Hartley Rathaway he knew. The guy who was so uptight about his t-shirts at work would not hang out in some dive bar on Open Mic Night. 

Cisco slunk to the bar, keeping an eye on Hartley as the other moved through the crowd like he was used to it. Oh, god, he was actually holding a beer.

Cisco felt like his whole world was starting to cave in.

He really needed a drink right now.

"What do you want?" Cisco tore his eyes away from Hartley to look to the bartender waiting on him. 

"Beer, thanks," Cisco looked back toward Hartley. Shit, he was smiling and laughing with some guy with face tattoos. "Actually, add a whiskey shot to that order."

Two hours, four whiskey shots, five beers, and four bands later, Cisco is still watching Hartley Fucking Rathaway not act like Hartley Fucking Rathaway. He's got to be a clone, there was no other explanation... but why though? Who'd want to clone Hartley?

Maybe if he could get Hartley to take off his shirt, he can confirm if he has a belly button or not... clones don't have belly buttons, right?

"Cisco?" Shit... 

Cisco blinked as Hartley appeared in front of his, looking somewhere between angry and concerned and when did he get to the bar? He was by the stage a second ago...

"Did you follow me?" Hartley asked, his voice sounding a lot angrier than a second ago. Maybe it was the real Hartley...

"What? No, I'm not taking my shirt off, Cisco! Stop being an idiot." Yeah, that sounded like something Hartley would say. "Are you _drunk_?"

"I'm so sorry about this," Hartley continued, looking over Cisco to the bartender who was grinning. "He was watching me the entire time? Ugh, I'm going to kill him. No, I'll get him home. Come on, Cisco. I'll yell at you tomorrow... Leave my shirt alone."

* * *

When Cisco woke up the next morning, there was only one thing he was sure of: he was not in his apartment. The couch he was laid out on was too comfortable, for starters.

"Good, you're awake." Cisco groaned, pressing his face into the throw pillow he had been sleeping on all night. "You know, I was trying to think of the best way to get back at you for last night. I considered dumping a pot of ice water on you to get you up but that'd ruin the upholstery. Then I thought about just banging some pots and pans over your head but I really don't want to dent them."

"Please don't..." Cisco moaned, curling up under the fleece throw blanket that had been tossed over him last night. "I'm dying."

"Not yet, you're not," Hartley scoffed, setting a cup of coffee on the end table by Cisco's head. "If you die, I'll find a way to bring you back just to get back at you for last night."

"M'sorry..."

"What the hell were you thinking, Cisco? That's the part that escapes me." Hartley crossed his arms, staring down at the lump on his couch.

"You were acting weird..." Cisco peeked up from the pillow, trying to fight back the pounding in his head. "I wanted to see what you were doing."

"You realize that that is none of your business, right?" Hartley shook his head. "We work together, Cisco, and that is it. What I do on my off-time doesn't concern you, I don't care how curious you are."

"Said I was sorry," Cisco weakly reached for the coffee waiting for him. Black. Hartley was a cruel man.

Cisco slowly sat up and looked around. Okay, that was lot of instruments... how do you even get a baby grand piano into an apartment building anyway? 

"Nice instruments?" Cisco offered weakly.

Hartley rolled his eyes and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Cisco.

"You said so last night," Hartley informed him before taking a sip of his own coffee. "You also offered to play me a song on the guitar."

"Oh..."

"...As an apology for pinning me against the wall and forcing my shirt up over my head..." Cisco froze, the coffee mug halfway to his lips. "...because you thought I might be a clone and you 'just wanted to make sure'."

"... I'm really sorry?" Cisco tried, staring down at his coffee, mortified. "Conspiracy theories and whiskey don't mix well..."

"Obviously." 

"...You're not going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Not for a good, long while, no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	6. Gen - Hartley has a tattoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt for you: Cisco/Hartley, Hartley has tattoos, Cisco finds out somehow

"Congratulations, you have three broken ribs," Caitlin informed him, setting Hartley's x-ray up for all to see. 

"I could have told you that," Hartley hissed, trying to sit up to see the scan more clearly. He gave up after a moment and laid back down on the hospital bed they kept in the cortex. Had it always been this cold in here? Hartley crossed his arms over his bare chest, trying to retain some warmth.

"Hartley, you can't just run into danger like that!" Caitlin crossed her arms and stared down at Hartley. "You don't have Barry's healing ability..."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, Dr. Snow," Hartley groaned, laying back against the bed. At least his back was relatively warm. "It's not like I planned to get thrown into a brick wall. And I didn't 'run into danger', I was facing one danger while another danger charged me from behind."

Meta with superhuman strength... just wasn't fair.

"Dude, you need to let me make you a suit," Cisco shook his head, smiling down at Hartley like he hadn't been panicking when Barry brought him in. "Give you some armor..."

"I think I'll continue to pass on that," Hartley shook his head. "I'll either end up in something skin tight or something ridiculous like polka dots."

"Maybe a crop top," Cisco smirked, his eyes glancing down to the side of Hartley's chest. "Show off your tat..."

Hartley glowered. "You will do no such thing."

"Come on, we didn't even know you had a tattoo! What is it, anyway? A mic?"

"It's a ghost light," Hartley sighed then winced as his ribs protested. "They have them in theaters."

"To ward off ghosts," Cisco nodded as though it made perfect sense.

"To stop people from falling in the orchestra pit in the dark," Hartley rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Why do you have a tattoo of a lamp?" 

"Ghost light and that's none of your business," Hartley said pointedly, lowering his crossed arms to cover the tattoo as best he could.

"He likes theater," Caitlin smiled, handing Hartley two painkillers and a glass of water. Hartley turned his glare to her. "What? That was suppose to be a secret?"

"I hate all of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


	7. Comicverse - Singhaway - Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt if you're still taking them: David Singh/Hartley, jealousy. Comic verse if you're comfortable.
> 
>  
> 
> I've been waiting for a David/Hartley prompt! Yay! 
> 
> First time writing comic verse so sorry if the voices are a bit off.

Jealousy was such an odd emotion and one Hartley wasn't used to feeling. He wasn't the jealous type, as a rule. He only stuck around with people he loved and trusted which made jealousy kind of redundant.

No, David wouldn't cheat on him, yes, he was certain David loved him and, yes, he was in love with David in return. He wouldn't have stayed with him for so long if he had doubts about any of these things. Even when their relationship was strained because of David being in the closet, he never doubted these things.

But David wasn't the closet anymore and that was fantastic... except now everyone knew and that was oddly... unnerving.

Before, he had seen women flirt with his boyfriend but that had just been amusing and safe. Now there were men flirting with his boyfriend and that was... less amusing.

The man talking to David now was handsome enough... dark hair, light colored eyes, and he obviously worked out and seemed to have no concept of personal space.

At least David was oblivious to it. When they had met, it had taken Hartley out right asking him on a date before he caught on - of course, that date didn't happen because Hartley was being arrested at the time but still.

"You look like someone just kidnapped one of your rats," Hartley looked up from his drink to see Barry standing over him. "Or maybe started singing off key."

"Am I being obvious?" Hartley asked before downing the rest of his champagne. Who invited single people to weddings where they can flirt with people who were decidedly not single.

"Just a bit," Barry smiled, sitting down beside Hartley. They both watched as the man flirting with David leaned in closer. David took a step back. That was something at least.

Then the man reached out to touch David's hair and... No.

"I think that's my limit," Hartley said, setting the glass down a bit harder than he should have as he pushed his chair back and stood. He put on his best, most charming smile.

"Don't start a fight..." Barry muttered behind him but stayed at the table.

Hartley picked up another flute of champagne from a passing waiter and made his way over to David and his unwanted admirer. He came up behind David and slipped his arm into his, smiling brightly at him.

"Hey, love," Hartley pressed a quick kiss to a surprised David's lips, "who are you talking to?"

The man in question didn't look as happy to see Hartley. Good.

"This is..."

"I should go," The man interrupted, his smile now strained. "It was nice talking to you, David." 

Hartley all but hugged David's arm as he smiled poisonously at the now retreating man. Once he was gone, Hartley took a slow sip of his champagne, only slightly loosening his hold on David. 

"Do I want to know what that was about?" David asked, taking a small sip from his own glass.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Hartley said, swirling the liquid in his own glass, feigning innocence.

"Of course you don't," David shook his head. He turned to face Hartley, pulling his arm free but keeping their hands clasped. With a smile, he leaned forward until his mouth was by Hartley's ear and softly said: "I thought he'd never leave." 

Hartley smiled as David pressed a kiss to his earlobe.


	8. Hartmon - Cisco tells Hartley about Reverb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love what you've written for the prompts! Your writing in general is amazing. <3 Two more completely different story ideas: 1. Cisco tells Hartley about Reverb. 2. Company retreat! More specifically Hartley and Cisco on a company retreat with the rest of the particle accelerator scientists. The pressure to be a good employee is ON. So many team-building exercises! Spending days of downtime living in the same building! Who will break first and either start having fun or be way too competitive!
> 
>  
> 
> I went with the first one! Established!Hartmon

Rough days were not an unfamiliar thing for Hartley. He could make a list of all the horrible days of his life, his disownment, finding out about the particle accelerator and Harrison's complacency about its very possible explosion and being fired for finding out about it, the explosion that altered his hearing to painful levels, finding out who Harrison Wells really was, the singularity... he really could go on and on.

The last two days still made the top ten list though.

Having to stay behind as Cisco went to another universe, perhaps never to return, only to have the machine meant to bring him back break down immediately, the Geomancer being a very dangerous nuisance, the velocity formulas, and then Jay...

"You should get some sleep," Hartley said softly, careful not to wake Caitlin. Cisco blinked his eyes slowly, forcing them to stay open. Hartley hadn't left his side since Cisco came tumbling out of the breach.

"You should talk," Cisco stretched, popping his back before running a hand over his eyes. "When did you last sleep?"

"When did you?" 

"Fair point," Cisco looked back to the bed Caitlin was occupying. She hadn't really moved since falling asleep. That was a few hours ago. "I just don't want to leave her here alone, you know?"

"Yeah, I know..." Hartley nodded his head, slowly standing, the bones in his back cracking in protest. He walked over to Cisco and sat back down beside him. "Talk so we can stay awake."

"You actually want to hear me talk?" Cisco smirked tiredly, shifting over to give Hartley more room on the floor beside him. "You really must be tired."

"Get to talking," Hartley rolled his eyes. "What was Earth 2 like?"

"Weird and awesome and scary," Cisco said after a moment. "Everything looked like it was from the 50s or something, you know? But their tech was so much more advanced, it was amazing. You know, if it weren't for all the evil meta humans trying to kill us..."

"To be fair, the meta human thing happens here too." Hartley winced, remembering the Geomancer cracking open the earth beneath his feet. 

"Yeah, guess so," Cisco lapsed into silence for a moment. He slipped his hand into Hartley's, lacing their fingers together. "I met my doppelganger..." 

"Oh?" Hartley leaned over so his shoulder was pressed against Cisco's.

"He called himself Reverb... he was one of the bad guys," Cisco said, voice quiet. "Like, really bad. He tried to kill Barry... his powers were strong, stronger than mine."

"It was a different dimension," Hartley said, frowning in thought. "There was no guarantee that our doppelgangers would have the same powers or any powers at all."

"He wanted me to join him," Cisco said, his voice barely audible to normal hearing but Hartley caught them.

"Cisco, you're not him," Hartley shook his head, reaching up to turn Cisco's face toward his. "I know that's where you're going with this. You're not him."

"I could be though," Cisco closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "He said so himself and our powers are similar enough that... that he could have literally seen that."

"Or he could have been lying." Hartley pointed out. "Cisco, look at me, you could never be a bad guy, no matter what this Reverb said."

"I could..." Cisco opened his eyes to look at Hartley.

"No, you couldn't." Hartley insisted. "You don't have it in you to hurt people."

Cisco didn't say anything for a moment, a wet sheen to his eyes.

"I wanted to hurt you," Cisco said softly, his voice rough as a tear escaped and ran down his cheek. "When we first captured you, after you attacked Rathaway Industries. I even built something that'd attack your hearing aids, just in case. And there was a part of me that really wanted to use it, even knowing it'd hurt you... I was just waiting for a reason."

Hartley was silent for a moment. His looked down at their joined hands, thinking carefully.

"Do you still want to?" He asked after a few moments.

"God, no!"

"And you think because you had thought about doing that to me... that that makes you like Reverb?" Hartley asked, glancing up to meet Cisco's eyes once again.

"Doesn't it?" Cisco's voice cracked but he clutched Hartley's hand tighter. "I could end up like him. I _did_ end up like him, in some other universe..."

"But this isn't some other universe," Hartley interrupted him, "It's our universe and in this universe, you're not evil. You could never be evil, Cisco."

"You really think that?" Cisco shook his head, dropping his gaze down to their hands. "How do you know..."

Hartley stared at him for a moment before he closed the distance between them. He pressed a soft kiss to Cisco's lips, his free hand coming up to cup the side of his face. 

"I just know," he said when the kiss broke. "You'll just have to trust me and everyone else on this."

"Just... just promise that if I go bad, you'll stop me," Cisco said, leaning forward until his forehead rested against Hartley's.

"Only if you promise the same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's interested, Cisco and Hartley were found the next morning asleep in a cuddle pile on the floor. It was adorable but didn't fit with fic. Oops.


	9. Hartmon - Cisco's worried about Hartley reuniting with his parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Are you still taking prompts? I'd love some supportive!Hartmon (dating or pre-): Hartley finally re-establishes contact with his family. Cisco is concerned, they are awful parents, he worries it's unhealthy and they'll hurt him, but he can see how much it means to Hartley, so he tries to be there for him. OR, Hartley is not actually the best official (boy)friend but he surprisingly has no reserve about trying very hard because having a person is everything and Cisco deserves that. Bye! <3

_"Turn around..." The woman's voice was shaking and Cisco couldn't help but feel his heart clench at the sound. This wasn't the right place for something like this - Hartley shouldn't have to face his parents - at least one of them anyway - while standing over an unconscious villain with the Flash and Cisco a few feet away and Caitlin and Harry at STAR Labs listening in._

_Hartley looked first at Cisco then to Barry before, slowly, turning around. He wasn't in costume, there hadn't been time to change when the word got to them that the younger Trickster had kidnapped the wife of a wealthy CEO. They hadn't known who it had been..._

_The only thing Hartley had had to hide his identity with had been Cisco's hoodie and the Pied Piper's green goggles that he had grabbed on the way out. Even with the hood up, it wasn't much of a disguise..._

_Hartley kept his head lowered, trying to get the hood to hide his face. Rachel Rathaway stared._

_"I... You're safe now..." Hartley said, his voice soft and low in a half-hearted attempt to disguise it too. "The Flash will -"_

_"Hartley?" She reached forward and pushed the hood away from Hartley's face before Hartley could stop her._

_Slowly, Hartley looked up, meeting his mother's eyes for the first time in almost a decade. He slowly reached up and pulled the goggles off. He took a deep, shuddering breath and offered a small, scared smile. "Mom..."_

_"Hartley..." Rachel Rathaway's voice shook as she reached up to cup Hartley's face. Cisco watched as tears swelled up in her eyes and her face crumbled as the first few sobs worked their way free. "Hartley, my Hartley... my baby..."_

_And the dam was broken._

_Mrs. Rathaway wrapped her arms tightly around Hartley, pulling him to her even as Hartley did the same. Cisco could just barely hear Hartley's soft, broken chants of "Mom" as his boyfriend buried his face in his mother's shoulder._

* * *

There was something endearingly sweet about watching Hartley panic over something as simple as what to wear. The other man moved between the bathroom to the closet to the mirror and back, examining every article of clothing for fault, finding it, then searching for something else.

"You know, you're proving every gay stereotype right now," Cisco said, glancing up from his comic book as Hartley passed by him again. "It's just dinner, your clothes can't be that important..."

"Shush," Hartley commanded, distracted as he stared at his reflection, judging the blue sweater he had changed to. He shook his head and pulled it back off.

"Alright, what was wrong with that?" Cisco rolled his eyes, setting the book aside. "Blue looks good on you..."

"It's a cotton blend, my mother would hate it..." Hartley said, his voice muffled as he left the room once again.

Cisco groaned, rolling his head back until he fell back onto the bed. Of course, that was what this would be about. He really wanted to tell Hartley that it didn't matter, that she wouldn't care but there was a part of Cisco, a very big part, in fact, that didn't think that was true.

These were the people that kicked their son out and changed the security passwords just because he was gay. These were the people that left him homeless and on the street with no money or support when he was still a teenager.

These were the people Hartley called at least once a month for _years_ and they had never so much as answered the phone.

Hartley shouldn't be stressing out about getting his parents approval, they should be seeking his.

"Stop that," Hartley said, passing by the bed with at least four shirts draped over his arm as he went back to the mirror. "I can hear you thinking."

"I just think it's a bit much..." Cisco propped himself up onto his elbows to watch Hartley try on one of the shirts.

"They're my parents..." Hartley shook his head, head down as he watched his fingers button up the shirt.

"That disowned you..." Hartley looked up, meeting Cisco's eyes through the mirror.

"Cisco..."

"I know, I know," Cisco swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood. "They're your parents and you've been trying to get back in contact with them for years because you love them. I know."

"You don't approve," Hartley stated, looking back at the pile of shirts he had set down on the desk beside him. 

"It's... not that." Cisco shook his head, coming to wrap his arms around Hartley's waist. "If you think this would work then, yeah, you should meet up with them. I just don't want you to get hurt if they've not changed as much as you think they have..."

"Cisco," Hartley started but stopped. There was an uncertainty to Hartley's expression, something that only ever appeared when the subject of family came up. "You saw my mother..."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Hartley," Cisco sighed before pressing a kiss to Hartley's shoulder. "You wanted this for so long, I just... I don't trust them."

"I know that," Hartley reached up to clasp his hands over Cisco's, pressing them to his chest. Cisco looked at him through the mirror. "I know I've wanted this so badly for so long but... I'm not going to let them do that to me again, Cisco."

Hartley let go of Cisco's hands and turned around in his arms so he could face him properly. "I'm not going to pretend that it wasn't one of the worst experiences of my life and it didn't fucked me up for _years_. But you helped me through that - once I let you anyway. You and Caitlin and Barry... and if tonight doesn't go like I want, I know you'll be still here. I didn't have that before."

"We'll be here," Cisco nodded, smiling. "You wouldn't be able to get rid of us now."

"I don't want to," Hartley smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss to Cisco's lips.

"Ugh, do you have to go though?" Cisco groaned when Hartley pulled away to turn back to the mirror.

"Yes, _we_ do." Hartley smiled at Cisco in the mirror. "You need to go get changed; you're not wearing that."

"...Wait, when did it become a we?" Shit.

"Just now." Hartley shrugged. "Because you're right. I love you and I want you with me... they're going to have to accept that. No point is tiptoeing around it and getting my hopes up if... well."

"Ugh, why'd you have to use the love argument." Cisco kissed Hartley's cheek. "Fine but wear this one." Cisco bent down and picked up a forest green sweater from the pile of not-quite-rejected-clothes and shoved it into Hartley's arms. "I'm going to be sticking to a t-shirt, jeans, and a blazer combo."

"Cisco, no."


	10. Gen - Cisco has to wear Hartley's nerdy clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt, or just a great image: So everyone knows the magic that is Hartley in Cisco's t-shirts, but consider Cisco having to borrow Hartley's clothes. Hartley's work clothes, Hartley's supervillain getup, it's all gold really.

"Okay, I feel like a nerd." Hartley looked up from the computer screen, a small frown tugging at his lips. Cisco stood in the door way, his posture slumped and defeated. When Cisco pouted, his whole body got into the act.

"You are a nerd," Hartley pointed out, leaning back in his chair to look Cisco over. 

The sweater was dark green, v-necked, and the sleeves came down to Cisco's fingers. Hartley preferred his sweaters to be a bit bigger than needed but on Cisco, it just made him look like a teenager.

"No, _you're_ a nerd," Hartley rolled his eyes at Cisco's defense, " _I'm_ a geek. And geeks are chic."

"Your wardrobe consists almost entirely of t-shirts." Hartley's voice was as dry as a desert.

"Exactly," Cisco scoffed, crossing his arms then wincing. "This thing has fucking elbow patches."

"I'm trying not to be offended," Hartley said, crossing his own arms. "Where's the button-down that went with that?"

He distinctly remembered tossing the dark gray shirt in question at Cisco along with the sweater.

"The elbow patches were nerdy enough," Cisco flopped down in the chair beside Hartley, pout firmly in place. "Why couldn't I get your Piper shirt and hoodie? At least they were basic black and not _completely_ horrible..."

"Because I might need to go out as Piper," Hartley shook his head, smirking. "It's your own fault for not having spare clothes laying around."

"Still don't see why Barry couldn't just run by my apartment and grab something." Cisco slumped down in his seat.

"Because he's chasing the meta with acid spit," Hartley rolled his eyes. If said meta hadn't displayed that particular power by spitting at Cisco, he was sure the other scientist would be over the moon right about now.

"...Think Barry would mind if I borrowed his - "

"Barry is a beanstalk," Hartley cut him off, "wearing his clothes would cut off your circulation."

"Wow, rude." Hartley and Cisco looked up, Barry now in front of them, sheets of loose paper fluttered off the nearby desks and table. He looked at Cisco. "I'm not sure if I'm offended for me or for you."

"Yes, I know, I'm a horrible person," Hartley sighed, turning the chair to face Barry. "What about the Xenomorph wannabe?"

"...Okay, I'm willing to forgive you, just for that reference." Cisco.

"You've seen Aliens?" Barry.

"Focus, please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit shorter than my other fills. D:


	11. Hartmon - Unprompted Mpreg, Pre-Flashpoint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hartley has something to tell Cisco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just pretend Mpreg is a normal thing that can happen in this verse...

Hartley had only been to the West household a handful of a times, the first time being when Team Flash had broken him out of the Pipeline and had brought him here to hide. That was over a year ago and even now, standing awkwardly on the back porch, it seemed utterly... homey. A normal family home and not the monstrosity he grew up in and not like the small, bare apartments of his adult life.

A part of him couldn't help but be envious.

Perhaps, if things work out how he wants, or if they just work out at all, he could find a house of his own... brick, maybe?

Hartley took a deep breath. 

One thing at a time.

"Hartley?" Cisco asked, gently closing the back door behind them. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Hartley sighed and lowered himself onto the top step, drawing his knees up as he looked up at Cisco. Logically, he knew he had plenty of time to tell Cisco, that he didn't have to rush from the airport to wherever Cisco had been, but a part of him didn't want to drag it out. 

He wanted Cisco to know, for better or worse, and he wanted him to know as soon as possible.

Even if it meant interrupting their, though subdued, celebration party. Even if it meant offering his condolences to a Barry who still didn't remember him enough to know he was sincere. It was amazing how far out of the way the universe went to take things from him, even if it was just to hit the reset button on a close friendship...

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner," Hartley commented, looking down at his knees. "Barry seems to be doing alright..."

"He's... dealing," Cisco nodded, sitting down beside Hartley. "You wanted to talk to me about Barry?"

"No," Hartley sighed, looking up at the night sky, "I wanted... that is..."

He sighed.

"You remember the night with the Time Wraith?" he asked, glancing over at Cisco. 

"Which part?"

A lot had ended up happening that night. They hadn't realized at that point just how much of the timeline had been changed and how much had stayed the same. Barry only remembered Hartley at his worst and, though he worked to accept it, it was hard without the memories of why. Hartley's parents had come around enough to invite him to dinner though it didn't got nearly as well as he had hoped with his father ending the dinner short when the topic of Hartley's sexuality inevitably came up. His mother had apologized, at least. 

That was when he had called Cisco and Cisco had invited him over and...

"You know which part," Hartley answered softly, crossing his arms over his knees.

"Right," Cisco nodded, his cheeks heating up at the memory. "That part... or is it the part when you up and left the next day?"

Hartley felt his stomach twist at the reminder.

"I really had to leave," Hartley defended himself, frowning, "but I should have done it better. Should have woken you instead of leaving you a note saying I had to go across the country. I panicked, just a bit."

"Just a bit," Cisco scoffed, shaking his head before sighing.

"I really am sorry I couldn't be here to help you all. Properly, I mean, not over the phone," Hartley twisted around to face Cisco. "I should have left as soon as I heard instead of..."

"You'd have just been in danger with the rest of us," Cisco stopped him, "and you did help us. I don't know anything about frequencies, not enough to do what needed to be done."

"That's something, at least," Hartley nodded, "but that's not what I wanted to talk about..."

"What is it then?"

Silence stretched between them as Hartley thought, carefully, on his words.

"I went to the doctor this morning," Hartley finally said after a few moments. "The last few days I was feeling ill. It was getting to the point where it was interfering with my work and..."

"Is it serious?" Cisco asked, looking at Hartley in concern, searching for any signs of illness.

"Uh, yes and no," Hartley smiled a bit, nervous. "It's serious in that it's a big life change and that it's rare but it, uh, it shouldn't be life threatening."

Cisco stared at him for a moment, frowning in thought. Hartley could see him piecing it all together, watched as his eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in disbelief, then widened again in delight. Hartley smiled as Cisco smiled.

"Are you... are you saying what I think you are?"

"Seven weeks," Hartley nodded, reaching up to adjust his glasses nervously. "It's probably still too early to get excited," he said, unable to fight the smile from his face, "Symptoms in male pregnancies are often harder and require more rest and are typically higher risk but... I want to keep it. I don't know if you want anything to do with it but I..."

Hartley didn't finish his rambling. Cisco, his heart hammering in his chest, reached forward and cupped Hartley's face in his hands before pressing his lips against his. Hartley eagerly returned the kiss, all but melting into it. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted this...

Cisco gasped into the kiss.

_He watched as a little girl, who couldn't have been older than four years old, walked down the petal-covered path between the pews. Her dress was white against her tanned skin and her dark curls were piled artfully on top of her head. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement. Balanced carefully in her hands was a white pillow with two rings carefully centered on it. He reached down and picked her up as she reached them, offering up the pillow and rings._

_The scene shifted and the little girl was now balanced on Hartley's feet as they 'danced' in the center of the crowd. The ring on Hartley's finger flashing in the light..._

Cisco pulled out of the vibe, breathing hard.

Hartley pulled back in alarm, his eyes wide. "Cisco? Are you... are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Cisco stared back at him, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I'm more than alright, Hart."

"Did you... what did you see?" Hartley asked, returning Cisco's grin with a small smile of his own. "You vibed just now, right? What did you see...?"

"I... I think we should probably go on our first date soon."

The laugh burst out of Hartley before he could stop it. "We are doing this a bit backwards, aren't we?"

"I'm fine with that," Cisco assured him, leaning forward to press his forehead against Hartley's. 

"I take it this means you want to keep it too?" Hartley asked, unable to stop his smile from turning into a grin.

"She'll be beautiful," Cisco said, taking Hartley's hand and lacing his fingers with his.

"She?" Hartley repeated before moving to press a soft kiss to Cisco's lips. "A girl?"

"A beautiful little girl," Cisco nodded. "Caitlin's going to be over the moon... oh, god, my mother is going to flip..."

Hartley laughed, nodding in agreement. "Mine will be unbearable if I give her half a chance."

"Solid gold crib?" Cisco smirked, standing up and helping Hartley to his feet.

"Oh, at the very least," Hartley grinned before looking toward the door leading into the house. "I guess we should go tell them?"

"Oh, yeah, It's about time we got some good news around here."

At the front of the house, Barry stepped into the street and started running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get one last punch in for the episode tonight.


	12. Hartmon - Hartley is sick and stubborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: HI i don't know if you take prompts here but could you possibly do one with hartley and Cisco and hartley is sick and super tired and Cisco takes care of him? :)

"Okay, I know you're not doing what I think you're doing," Cisco huffed, staring across the room at the figure hunched over the kitchen table. "Because only someone with a death wish, who barely survived being encased in ice a few hours ago, would be up out of bed to work on their fried gloves."

"I just wanted to take them apart and let them air out," Hartley barely glanced up from his work. Even now, wrapped up in two sweaters, there was a trembling in his hands.

"I can do that," Cisco pointed out, walking over and setting the bag of hot food on the table beside the gloves. "And you promised you weren't going to get out of bed while I was out."

Hartley frowned down at the gloves, still trying to hold the small screwdriver steady. It wasn't working.

"You remember the deal we had with Caitlin? That you can warm up at home instead of at STAR Labs if you stay in bed?" Cisco reminded him. Caitlin had warned him of the side effects of hypothermia, of how Hartley's body might react to how fast they had warmed him up. The human body just wasn't made to get wrapped in ice then defrosted with friction from a speedster. 

"I hate being stuck in bed," Hartley finally groused, setting the screwdriver down. "It's only 8 in the evening..."

"Hartley, you were up to your neck in an ice cube a few hours ago. No one is going to judge you for going to bed early," Cisco pointed out, pulling a Styrofoam container out of the takeout bag before reaching for a large mug. "In fact, Caitlin has made it abundantly clear that I'm to keep you in bed all of tomorrow as well."

"You're all overreacting," Hartley shook his head, watching as Cisco poured some of the soup into the mug. "I know what I'm suppose to look out for and I'm fine. No fluttering heartbeat, no confusion, my speech isn't slurring. I'm fine."

Cisco set the mug down in front of Hartley and, before the other could protest, he pressed the back of his hand to Hartley's forehead.

"You're running a fever," Cisco pointed out. "That's was one of the things you're suppose to be looking out for. Also? You're wearing two sweaters, flannel pajama bottoms, and socks."

"Fine," Hartley wrapped his hands around the mug but didn't take a sip of the soup, "I still feel a bit cold."

"And you're exhausted."

"I am not exhausted," Hartley huffed, pulling the cup of soup closer.

"Which proves my point," Cisco smirked, closing the lid back on the soup container. "You only deny being tired when you're about to pass out. Normal tired, you just insist on five more minutes."

Hartley groaned. "I just want to work on my gloves, Cisco. It's not like I can actually work on them properly until they're thawed and dried."

"They'll still be here in a few days," Cisco shook his head. "I'll get them prepped and waiting for you as soon as you get the all clear. They're not going anywhere."

"Yeah, I know that, I just..." Hartley shook his head, staring down at the mug in his hands. "I hate being useless, you know that, and today with Cold... he could have killed me, Cisco."

Cisco winced at the reminder. If Captain Cold didn't have his own, albeit twisted, sense of morality when it came to needless killing... if it had been a villain from another city or one of their more murderous foes... or if Barry hadn't been there to get Hartley back to STAR Labs and out of that ice before he froze to death...

"I know," Cisco said softly, reaching down to pull one of Hartley's hands into his own. "Don't think I wasn't thinking that when we heard what happened or when Barry carried you in. You scared me half to death, Hart."

Hartley swallowed hard, looking at their clasped hands.

"So you agree that the gloves need work," Hartley said instead, running his thumb over Cisco's knuckles.

"I think we all need to be better prepared," Cisco corrected, pressing a kiss to Hartley's hand before standing up, "and I think that's something we can do in a few days when you're fully recovered."

"You're really going to make me do this, aren't you?" Hartley sighed, looking up at Cisco, defeated. 

"Sorry, Hart," Cisco smiled, not at all sorry. He helped Hartley to stand and handed him his cup of soup. "Go get comfortable and I'll bring the TV and Blu-Ray player into the bedroom."

"How uncouth," Hartley rolled his eyes before taking a small sip of the soup. 

"I'll have you know having a TV in the bedroom is the height of civilization," Cisco smiled, shrugging. "Besides, I don't want you to have any excuse to get up out of that bed unless absolutely necessary."

"You're going to be impossible," Hartley sighed but turned toward the bedroom. "Just hurry up with whatever you plan to do. If I'm going to be confined to the bed, so are you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone knows: Hartley fell asleep before Cisco could even get the tv in the room.


	13. Hartmon - Hartley's the type to argue with the DM and get everyone killed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hey. :) A Hartmon prompt?: "I really need another player for Dungeons and Dragons. It's an emergency."

"I really need another player for Dungeons and Dragons tonight. It's an emergency!"

Hartley looked up from his tablet. Cisco stood at the foot of the bed, his bag already slung over his shoulder, ready to leave. Hartley stayed where he was, stretched out on the bed in his pajamas, a book open on his tablet.

"No," Hartley looked back to his book, "You remember what happened the last time I tried to play that game."

"Yeah, but I'm the DM now," Cisco walked around the bed to sit beside Hartley. "I'm used to arguing with you! You can't run me off."

"Cisco," Hartley sighed, looking up again.

"Come on, I finally convinced Caitlin to give it a shot, Barry and Wally are dragging Iris over, and, yeah, okay, HR wants to play but we can ignore him if he gets too annoying..."

"It sounds like a crowded party," Hartley shook his head. "Each round would take forever..."

"No, it sounds like all my friends meeting to have a good time," Cisco flopped down, landing half on top of him, "It'd be more fun if my boyfriend came too. Even if he's a stubborn ass who argues with the DM until rocks fall from the sky."

Hartley groaned and dropped his head back on the pillow.

"I'm nowhere near ready, you realize that, right?" Hartley said after a moment, looking over at Cisco.

"You can roll your character in the car," Cisco smiled brightly back. "Now get your butt moving, we're meeting at Barry's place. Unless you want everyone to see your cute mouse pajamas."

"You're not selling it to me, Mercer."

Cisco gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "A Critical Role reference. I knew there was a reason we're dating."

Hartley groaned and buried his face back into his pillow. Cisco could hear, muffled: "Let me get dressed before I change my mind."

Cisco grinned and, while he could, slapped Hartley's behind as he stood up.

"I better get an advantage roll for that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have about 20 episodes of Critical Role to watch...


	14. Gen - Hartley crashes on Cisco's couch and tries to be helpful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey :) i have a prompt? (hartmon maybe, if it fits?) - Early days of Hartley working with team Flash; Things between Hartley and everyone have mellowed a little and he starts to think it could be okay to hope to make something good out of this chance. But he still doesn't really trust people and doesn't like to put himself in any emotionally vulnerable position, so he just kind of starts doing little nice things for people in secret. Xx

Cisco buried his face into his pillow and tried to ignore the muffled noise coming from the next room. There was the sound of pots being moved and then the sound of a faucet. There was a scrape of wood against wood as a chair was pulled across the floor.

Cisco groaned softly and lifted his head up, squinting at the red blur of numbers on his bedside table.

3:08am

He groaned again and dropped his head back into the downy pillow.

He never should have agreed to this. The Wests had a couch, Caitlin had a couch, they could have brought a couch into STAR Labs purely for the occasion (actually, that sounded like a great idea...).

The point was that there were plenty of couches in Central City - why the hell did he agree to let Hartley Rathaway use his?!

Okay, yeah, he felt pretty bad about the whole 'guy got evicted while they had him kind of illegally imprisoned in their secret base' thing but really, Hartley's old apartment had been the stuff of nightmares. He had only been inside for a few minutes while Hartley tried to get what little stuff he had left before the landlord called the cops on them but that had been enough.

The place had been all but empty except for an old mattress on the floor, a cluttered worktable, and a few computers that were the only decent looking things in the apartment. There had been mold on the walls and rats in the ceiling. He never pictured Hartley ever living in a dump like that but... he never really pictured Hartley doing a lot of things. In fact, Hartley seemed more annoyed by Cisco's attitude than anything else.

He really hoped Hartley's _'I've had worse'_ comment had been a shot at them...

He was all on board with Hartley getting out of the Pipeline, he really was, especially after everything that had happened with Not-Wells but there was only so much a man could take. 

So, yeah, okay, Barry and Joe couldn't take the Pied Piper in because they're still trying to hide the whole 'superhero' thing from Iris and having some weird guy crashing on the couch would involve backstories they'd have to make up and hope Hartley played along with. Hartley had ended all discussion on that as soon as he heard the word 'reporter' in relation to Iris and had promptly said: 'no'.

Caitlin had a couch, Cisco was pretty sure of it.

Alright, it was more of love seat than a couch but still, Hartley was a pretty short guy... he could curl up on there...

Ugh, there really wasn't much of a choice, was there?

"Damn it," Cisco sighed, grasping blindly at his warm sheets before shoving them off. "They owe me so much for this, I swear."

It might not have been so bad if Hartley hadn't been so, well, _Hartley_ about Cisco's apartment. The moment the other man had walked in, he had started complaining - mostly about the cluttered mess that took up most of the space in the living room.

_"You live in here?" Hartley asked, his blue eyes scanning the room in front of him. Boxes lined the walls, towering up beside bookcases that were filled to the point of sagging. Hartley's narrowed at a series of unopened boxes, propped up against the wall, that had a picture of a bookcase on the front._

_"Really?" Cisco scoffed, closing the front door behind him before shrugging off his coat. "Remember we just came back from your vermin infested apartment you got evicted out of. Don't think you should be so judgmental right now."_

_"That's different," Hartley, his cheeks now faintly pink, pulled his singular bag closer - there wasn't much he salvaged from the place in question with most of it still being in the trunk of Cisco's car, "I was staying there for convenience, not living there..."_

_"Yeah, sure," Cisco rolled his eyes, moving over to the couch to start moving some of the books, papers, and game controllers off the fabric. "Look, I know it's a mess but I wasn't expecting company anytime soon, you know."_

_"Would you have cleaned up if you knew you'd draw the short end of the stick?" Hartley asked, quirking an eyebrow._

_"No," Cisco smirked, dropping the clutter on the already cluttered coffee table, "but I'd be more sympathetic if you were someone else."_

_"When was the last time you cleaned, at least?" Hartley huffed and dropped his bag beside the couch._

_"I've been busy," Cisco shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Hartley as the other man sat down on his couch, sinking into the soft cushions. "So sorry if they're not up to you high standards of rat infestations."_

_"Rats are actually quite clean animals..."_

_"I'm sure they are. That whole plague thing was just a bum rap," Cisco rolled his eyes before pulling out his phone. "Pizza? I didn't have time to stock up on food."_

_"That's fine," Hartley said after a moment. Cisco glanced up to see Hartley still looking around the room, examining Cisco's possessions with a carefully blank expression._

_It was annoying._

_"Hey," Hartley looked back to Cisco as the other man stared down at him, "Go take a shower or something, the pizza will take a while."_

_Hartley's eyes widened at the word 'shower', a look of longing passing over his features before they fell back into the bored expression Cisco was used to. Cisco ignored the twinge of guilt as he remembered the Pipeline occupants made due with sponge baths more often than not._

_"...Thank you, Cisco."_

Of course, Hartley had taken almost an hour in the bathroom and when he had come out, the bathroom was freshly cleaned and organized.

Like, who does that?

Cisco shuffled his way out of his bedroom and toward the kitchen. The noise had died down in the last few minutes but there was the distinct sound of water starting to boil.

"Alright, what you doing... now?" Cisco stopped at the door and blinked as he took in the scene.

The kitchen had always been tidy - Mama Ramon wouldn't stand for anything else from a child of hers - but everything now had the look of being freshly wiped down and cleaned. Bottles and condiments that had already been in place had been straightened ever so slightly to be more uniform.

The only thing out of place in the kitchen was the mug with a teabag waiting inside sitting on the counter and the kettle on the stove, steam starting to rise out of the spout.

Then there was the slumped over figure at his kitchen table.

In the few minutes it had taken the water to start boiling, Hartley had fallen asleep, his head inches from the papers that were now scattered around Cisco's table.

The kettle's bubbling started to turn into the whistle of a full boil and Hartley started awake, almost launching himself up and out of the chair.

Cisco snorted. He walked over to the stove and moved the kettle off the hot eye before the whistle became too loud for normal human hearing.

"It's three in the morning," Cisco turned around and leaned back against the counter so he could give Hartley as unimpressed a look as he could manage with bedhead. "Why the hell are you making tea?"

"To stay awake," Hartley yawned and stood up to stretch, "I was trying to be quiet..."

"Yeah, you failed," Cisco shook his head. "Why are you trying to stay up? You finally get a proper bed... well, couch, and you're not using it?"

"I wanted to get some work done," Hartley moved around Cisco, grabbing a pot holder before picking up the kettle to pour the water into the waiting mug. "I was basically useless for weeks without even a pen and paper to write ideas down."

"So, what, work constipation?"

Hartley wrinkled his nose slightly but nodded.

"Guess I can understand that," Cisco relented, crossing his arms. "Doesn't change the fact that three in the morning is not the time to cure it. You'll have all day tomorrow, with full lab equipment!, to get whatever's in your head out."

"I figured we would... that it would be too busy."

Cisco felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth at the small slip. Hartley, who had been staring down at his steeping tea, picked up the mug and took a too hot sip of tea-flavored water.

"It's surprisingly free time heavy," Cisco answered with a shrug. "We monitor stuff - which is boring - then when something happens, Barry zooms over and its done within five minutes. Then it's boring again."

"Yes but with Harr - with the Reverse Flash out there and with your friend Eddie..."

"We'll be looking for leads," Cisco shook his head, sobering immediately, "but we'll probably still have down time, enough for you to get some sketches or something done at least. Besides, you falling asleep at the lab isn't going to be of much help anyway."

Hartley narrowed his eyes, something that wasn't as threatening as it used to be when Hartley's eyes were heavy from lack of sleep and with his hair sticking up on one side, and puffed his chest out indignantly.

"I would never fall asleep at the lab," Hartley scoffed, shaking his head. "I've had my share of all-nighters, Cisco, especially in that lab."

"You fell asleep on my kitchen table," Cisco rolled his eyes. "I doubt your body is going to care where you fall asleep."

Hartley snorted but the fight seemed to leave him as he leaned back against the counter beside Cisco.

"I blame you."

"Of course."

"Before the Pipeline, I never had trouble keeping my mind occupied. Now it's used to sleeping away boredom."

"Sounds like you need more sleep in general," Cisco said before his smirk turned into a grin. "Maybe that's why you were such a dick before. Not enough beauty sleep."

Hartley tensed for a moment before he let out a loud sigh.

"Is there ever going to be a point where you're not going to call me a dick at every opportunity?"

"Yes," Cisco answered, "I'm not calling you a dick now. I just said you _used_ to be a dick and I feel the past needs to be remembered to not be repeated."

"How deep of you."

"I'm a deep guy," Cisco pushed himself away from the counter and stretched. "Come on, time for bed. You can work on your whatever it is tomorrow. What is it anyway that you felt you had to work on it in the middle of the night?"

"Ah," Hartley looked down at his mug and toyed with the teabag string, "It was just a thought I had."

"Obviously," Cisco scoffed.

"I was just thinking... maybe I could work on Barry's earpieces and, you know, make a filter for them. So that sonic blasts wouldn't work as well on him..."

"Like what you do?" Cisco asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes and no. I was using vibrations to effect his molecules so the ear pieces wouldn't have done much against it. I mean things like flashbangs and other sound based disorienting weapons. If they can throw off his balance, he can't run so his speed would be meaningless..."

"Huh," Cisco tilted his eye, his eyes distant.

That was... something he hadn't considered before. It was kind of obvious now but if someone could disturb or even break the bones in Barry's ears, they'd have free range of the city until Barry recovered. 

"I know the Flash suit is your thing," Hartley spoke up, still staring into his tea. Cisco blinked out of his thoughts, refocusing on Hartley. "Even if the original design was mine, you did the rest. I wasn't trying to take over or anything..."

"No, no, it's fine," Cisco shook his head, smiling slightly, "It's a good idea, actually, but you did not make the original outfit."

"Excuse me," Hartley looked up, disbelief coloring his voice, "I designed the original concept for the fire and friction proof suit. Back when I was dating that fireman."

"Yeah, I know, I liked Chip, but a drawing does not a suit make."

"All you did was slap on a lightning bolt insignia and ear antennas!"

"And actually made it," Cisco grinned then grin wider as Hartley glowered at him. "We can pick up the bickering in the morning. You," he pointed at Hartley, "need to sleep, if only so I can get some sleep."

"Fine," Hartley set the mug of tea down beside the sink, "but we will be discussing this tomorrow."

"I wouldn't expect anything else."


	15. Gen - The one where Hartley is drunk and Cisco has pretty hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't prompted for this, just wanted to write it.

“Hartley?”

Cisco turned and stared at the other man. It was past midnight, nearing one in the morning, and Hartley Rathaway had no business being in the Cortex.

He was suppose to be at home, enjoying the warm glow of reconnecting with his parents... at least, that’s how Cisco (and Caitlin and Barry) had hoped it would go.

Apparently not.

Cisco could smell the sharp, stinging smell of alcohol from across the room.

Hartley wavered on his feet for a moment, his usually neat hair sticking up from where hands had run through it, and looked up at Cisco.

“Wat’ru doin ere?” The words were slurred and fumbling but Cisco got the meaning behind them.

“I work here,” Cisco rolled his eyes as he made his way across to the other man who was now leaning against the wall, swaying dangerously. “Hartley, how much have you had to drink?”

Hartley held up a whiskey bottle, half full.

“Oh...”

“‘S second one.”

“Wow,” Cisco nodded, eyes wide. “Uh, you might want to slow it down there then, pal.”

“‘M fine,” Hartley pushed himself off the wall but instead of taking a step forward, he fell into Cisco, almost knocking him to the ground. Cisco caught him with a grunt.

“I guess dinner didn’t go so well?” Cisco muttered, all but dragging Hartley over to a chair.

“No,” Hartley agreed, slumping down over the computer terminal. The bottle fell out of his limp fingers and would have fallen if Cisco hadn’t snatched it up. 

“...Want to talk about it?”

“Nooo,” Hartley all but wailed, turned his head to look up at Cisco pitifully. Cisco shifted uncomfortably, noticing the wetness around those redden eyes. “They have a doctor.”

“...Okay?”

Hartley shook his head, almost violently.

“‘e’s not a doctor. Fake doctor.”

“Okay?” Cisco frowned, trying to piece together Hartley’s drunk words and what he could mean by them. “So... they’re getting scammed?”

“No... mybee. ‘S not real med... med... stuff.”

“So you think he’s taking advantage of them? That this doctor’s going to hurt them?”

Hartley shook his head again.

“Not for dem. Meeeeh.”

Cisco ran the words through his head and felt his heart plummet.

Oh, Hartley.

Cisco knelt down beside his former enemy and placed a hand on the small of his back.

“I’m so sorry, Hartley.”

Cisco felt sick as fresh tears welled up in Hartley’s eyes.

“That’s why dinner,” Hartley blinked rapidly, staring up at Cisco, as though he could do something to make the last few hours disappear. “They made an appointent and eferything. Said it’d fix me.”

Cisco nodded, feeling crushed for Hartley’s sake. He might not have always gotten along with the other man but no one deserved to be treated like that, especially not by family.

“You know what? Screw them!” Cisco said, sitting back to look up at Hartley, suddenly angry on his behalf.

Hartley blinked again, eyes wide.

“Screw them!” Cisco said again, taking courage from the words and hoping Hartley would too. “If they can’t see what’s in front of them then they don’t deserve you! They didn’t deserve you when they first did this and they sure as hell don’t deserve you now!”

Hartley stared at him for a moment, as though he couldn’t comprehend what Cisco was saying.

“Imma jerk...” he slurred after a moment, his brows furrowing. “Yous sad so.”

“Yes, well, you used to be,” Cisco sighed before smiling, “You’re kind of alright now.”

“Yor so nice,” Hartley tried to sit up in the chair but almost slid out of instead before catching himself. “Yourn alwise nice.”

“Thanks?”

“Shushn’t bae nice to me.”

“Hartley...”

“I… I thenk I hate dem…”

“Hart - “

“Not ‘upposed to hate.” Hartley grabbed onto the computer table and tried to push himself up to his feet. Cisco stood up with him, ready to catch the other man if he started falling. “Shushn’t be nice to me...”

“Your parents are dicks,” Cisco shook his head, grabbing onto Hartley’s arm to hold him steady. “And you are way too drunk to be worrying about them right now.”

Hartley made a sound that could have been agreement or denial and just stood there, swaying slightly.

“Come on, Hart,” Cisco pulled Hartley’s arm over his shoulder and gently tugged him away from the desk and toward the door. “Let’s get you home.”

Hartley made the soft noise again but didn’t try to fight Cisco as he pulled him away.

It was slow going, dragging Hartley through STAR Labs while also locking everything down. Cisco quickly found he could lean Hartley against the wall and have a 30 second window to do what he needed to do before the other man started sliding down the wall.

He was totally going to save the security footage of this, if only for proof that Hartley Rathaway was as human as any of them.

“In you get,” Cisco grunted, all but dropping Hartley into the passenger seat of his car and pushing his legs in.

“M’fine,” Hartley grumbled as Cisco reached around him and pulled the seat belt across him, buckling him in. “You hiv pitty hair...”

Cisco sat back on his heels and looked up at Hartley who was staring down at him, well, at his hair, with a dazed look to his face. 

“Oh, Hartley,” Cisco sighed, reaching up to pat his cheek. “You are going to be so hungover in the morning.”


	16. Hartmon - (Cisco 99/Hartley 99, Cisco/Hartley 99) Spot the Difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That feel when your Earth 99 Counterpart's boyfriend mistakes you for him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't prompted, just had the idea for it

According to the Multiverse Theory, every decision ever made creates a new universe. Some of those universes are created from mundane decisions like having cereal instead of eggs for breakfast that one time while other decisions effect millions in a very direct and immediate way, like declaring war on another country.

So, of course, according to the theory, not every dimension will be that drastically different. Occasionally, you’re going to come across one that’s almost identical to your homeworld.

It was still kinda awesome.

“Dude, this is, like, _exactly_ the same!” Cisco gushed, looking around at Earth 99’s cortex. Cisco looked over to Cisco 99 (as Cisco’s been mentally calling him). “Does the right chair -”

“Squeak annoyingly loud when you spin in it?” Cisco 99 filled in with a grin, nodding. “Yep! Does your apartment building have a loose floorboard on the -”

“Second floor, three feet down the hall!”

“Awesome,” the Ciscos announced together.

It was starting to become a kind of game – try to guess the difference! So far, Star Labs was exactly the same, they were exactly the same down to favorite color, movie, and music, Barry was Barry, the Wests were the Wests, Caitlin was Caitlin, and yeah, their first Wells was an evil speedster too!

It was kind of getting creepy, in an awesome way.

Cisco was waiting for the big twist, he just hoped he found it before he had to go home. Experimental dimension jumping wasn’t, exactly, Team Flash approved...

The Ciscos looked up as they heard footsteps echoing down the hall.

Cisco looked at Cisco 99. 

“Should I...?” he gestured toward the side room, out of sight.

Cisco 99 shrugged, looking toward the door. 

“Nah, I think it’ll be fine,” he said, looking back at Cisco. “Could be funny, actually... Oh! Stay there.”

Cisco watched as his doppelganger moved to stand by the doorway, out of sight of whoever was coming.

Getting the idea, Cisco forced himself not to grin as he moved to lean against the desk, waiting for whoever to come in.

He wasn’t expecting this.

“Cisco!” Hartley Rathaway (99) said, spotting Cisco immediately. The other man looked vaguely annoyed and, Cisco thought, a bit relieved to see him. He walked toward him, relaxing as he approached. “You’re suppose to call if you’re going to be late.”

“Um,” Cisco said, frowning as Hartley moved past the friendship bubble and into personal space bubble. He opened his mouth to announce that he wasn’t the Cisco of this Earth, that he wasn’t, in fact, late, but that the other Cisco was late and late for what exactly?

None of those words made it out of his mouth.

Hartley closed the distance between them completely, cupping Cisco’s face in his hands and pressing his lips eagerly to Cisco’s.

Cisco’s eyes widened and he kissed back instinctively.

Hartley, at least this Hartley, was a surprisingly good kisser.

Cisco glanced over Hartley’s head and saw Cisco 99 watching with open mouthed astonishment but if the furrowing of his brows and the crossing of his arms were any indication, he wasn’t finding this amusing.

Cisco probably wouldn’t either, if their positions were reversed.

Does it count as cheating if your significant other mistook your doppelganger for you? 

Probably.

At least they’ve found the difference between their worlds.

Cisco gently grabbed Hartley’s shoulders and pushed him away just as Cisco 99 coughed pointedly.

Hartley looked at Cisco curiously before turning to see who else was in the room. Hartley’s eyes widened as he saw another Cisco behind him. He turned and looked back at Cisco.

He stepped away and to the side so he could look at both of them at the same time.

“What did you do now?” Hartley asked, crossing his arms. His cheeks were a bright pink.

“Hi,” Cisco said, waving a hand. “I’m, um, from Earth 1.”

“We’ve not agreed to that title,” Cisco 99 interjected, moving over to Hartley, perhaps a little protectively.

Hartley’s eyes flickered from Cisco 99 to Cisco then back. He reached out and took Cisco 99’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Okay, question,” he announced, “Why? What’s gone wrong now? Do we need Barry?”

“Exploring,” the Ciscos shrugged.

“Nothing bad happening, just curious,” Cisco added on.

Hartley did not look impressed.

“And, hey!” Cisco said, trying to smile through this awkward turn of events. “At least we found the difference! Me and my Earth’s Hartley are not...” Cisco gestured vaguely toward their joined hands. “No where close to that, actually. Or even in the same ballpark... He’s kind of a dick.”

“Hmph,” Cisco 99 tried to stop himself from smiling but wasn’t quite able to. “Guess that’s your loss.”

“Even your counterpart describes me like that,” Hartley sighed, exasperate. “Is it a Cisco thing?”

“Maybe it’s a Hartley thing,” Cisco 99 grinned before leaning closer to Hartley. “Maybe I’m one of the only Ciscos that finds it charming?” 

“I’m still annoyed with you,” Hartley said but didn’t move away as Cisco 99 leaned in. “You’re late and you’ve been playing with yourself.”

“That sounded dirty,” Cisco 99 smirked, his lips close to Hartley’s now, “but I’d rather play with you...”

“Okay!” Cisco turned before he had to see himself kiss Hartley, even if it wasn’t actually himself and it wasn’t his Hartley. He held out a hand to create a breach. “We’ll do a raincheck on this whole... thing.”

Cisco didn’t wait for an answer. If the sounds he was hearing was to be believed, he wouldn’t be getting one.

“Um... bye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was suppose to be working on the next part of Sacrificial Lamb and then this happened...


	17. Pre-Hartmon - Is That A Wand In Your Pocket Or...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hartmon “It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.”
> 
>  
> 
> Takes place after Season 2 but Flashpoint didn't happen

The bar was actually a lot classier than he had thought it would be when he had accepted Team Flash’s invitation for a few drinks. The last few weeks had been hard on them, or so he had been told once he got back to Central City. The whole mess with Zoom sounded far worse than he had thought when Cisco had called him a month prior. 

It sounded like a nightmare, actually, and a part of him had wished he had known just how bad it was before he had left. He might not have been able to help them out much but some help was better than none, right?

At least the team seemed to be doing better. Caitlin was a bit more aloof than she had been before and Barry sometimes got a far away look in his eyes but it was understandable, considering what they had personally been through. 

They had both put on a brave face at the beginning of the night, wanting to spend time together doing the types of things normal, 20-somethings did but they had called it a night earlier – Barry to go home with Iris and Caitlin to go home alone.

Cisco had stuck it out though, even if it meant sticking it out with Hartley.

Even with their rivalry behind them, they both had a skill at utterly irritating the other. It was usually something unconscious and unintentional when it happened...

Except for the times when it wasn’t.

Hartley watched in utter schadenfreudic fascination has Cisco approached a young woman with curly dark hair and dark eyes. He watched the curious doubt and caution on her face as Cisco leaned against the bar beside her with a bright, white smile.

Through the music, Hartley could hear Cisco’s heartbeat thudding as the other man opened his mouth.

“I hope it didn’t hurt,” Cisco said, trying to sound dignified and smooth, “I heard the fall from Heaven is a long one.”

The woman quirked an eyebrow. She wasn’t impressed.

“You know you just called me Satan, right?”

“Uhhh...”

Hartley quickly brought his beer bottle up to his lips and looked away. He didn’t need to see the utter destruction about to rain down on the other man if he continued this already failed attempt at courting. 

He heard Cisco stammer a few times, realize there was no saving this encounter, apologize, then leave, heading back towards Hartley. Hartley let his eyes drift back to Cisco and swallowed the, frankly, too large gulp of beer he had taken in his attempt to avoid witnessing that particular disaster.

“It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line,” Hartley said, his voice a bit rough from the alcohol.

“That was a perfectly decent pickup line!” Cisco sulked, sitting down across from Hartley. “It’s a classic! It always works!”

“Cisco, that has never worked,” Hartley shook his head.

“It has to work sometimes,” Cisco muttered, taking a sip of his own beer. “I mean, that’s why it’s a classic, right?”

“Did no one ever teach you how to flirt?” Hartley asked, looking just a bit incredulous. “Even I could do a better job than that and I hate most people.”

“Sure,” Cisco scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

Hartley quirked an eyebrow, ignoring the sting at the implied insult at that one little word. He quickly glanced around the bar and, surprisingly, found a likely target.

By the bar was a man about his age, wearing a rainbow wristband and, if Hartley was correct, was busy staring at another man’s ass. He was attractive enough and close enough to his type...

Oh, what the hell. It’s been a while since Hartley had that kind of fun.

“What and learn,” Hartley said, smirking a bit at Cisco’s confused look. He got up from their table and made his way over to the man. He didn’t look to see if Cisco was watching.

“Excuse me,” Hartley said, approaching the man. He put on a smile, one that wasn’t arrogant or shy but somewhere in the middle. People seemed to like this smile. “I hate to bother you but I saw you didn’t seem to be here with anyone?”

The man looked Hartley over and Hartley let him. This was what a lot of people came to bars to do, after all. Hartley returned the favor, his smile widening as he saw the man was closer to his type than he had originally thought. This could work out nicely.

Finally, the man seemed to find what he was looking for. His smile widened as well and he turned to face Hartley properly.

“I wasn’t,” the man confirmed before taking a small sip of his drink. “How about you?”

“I was,” Hartley said with a small shrug. “They all left though.”

“They left you all alone?” the man asked as Hartley moved closer to stand beside him at the bar.

“They had a rough week,” Hartley said with a small shake of his head. “And I can look after myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” the man grinned. He brought his glass to his lips and downed the rest of his drink. Hartley figured that was meant to be impressive or the man was impatient to skip the small talk. The man set the glass down and leaned closer to Hartley, lowering his voice so that only Hartley could hear him. “Do you, uh, want to get out of -”

He didn’t get to finish.

“Hartley!” Cisco yelled, all but bouncing up. 

Hartley blinked in surprise as Cisco smiled brightly at them both though the smile was a bit too bright – like the edge of a knife.

“Cisco?” Hartley asked tentatively, glancing at his almost date and back at the engineer.

“I was looking everywhere for you!” Cisco said, shaking his head and he moved to stand right beside Hartley, almost invading his personal space.

The other man’s face soured a bit.

Hartley looked Cisco over again, frowning. Did Cisco not like that his own pickup techniques were working? Was this a cockblock? Did people actually do that?

“I though you were going to call it a night?” Hartley lied, forcing a smile. 

Cisco glowered at him.

“I changed my mind,” Cisco said, his responding smile just as forced. “I actually wanted to tell you something.”

Hartley blinked and glanced at the man beside him. He didn’t look too happy, boarding on suspicious actually.

Hartley glanced back at Cisco.

“Okay?”

Cisco leaned forward on the bar and put on his best smile.

“You must play Quidditch,” he said, smiling. Hartley blinked. “Because you’re definitely a Keeper!”

Hartley stared at Cisco.

The man beside Hartley stared at Cisco.

Cisco continued to grin as though proud of himself.

Hartley snorted and clapped a hand over his mouth but the repressed laughter still shook his shoulders. Cisco’s smile widened.

“That was horrible,” Hartley choked out through his fingers, blinking back tears.

“Did you survive the Killing Curse?” Cisco asked with a wink before he pointed a finger gun at him. “Because you’re drop dead gorgeous.”

Hartley shook his head, pressing his hand harder against his mouth.

“I, uh, I think you’ve found someone,” the man beside Hartley said, breaking through the moment.

Hartley looked over his shoulder at him in surprise before he realized just what this must look like.

“No, wait, it’s not...” but the man was already walking away.

Hartley sighed and looked back to glower at Cisco, his earlier amusement gone.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Cisco grinned. “So, how’s my pickup game now?”

“It went from bad to horrible,” Hartley said, blunt.

“Would they work on you though?”

“They would probably work on a lot of Harry Potter fans,” Hartley admitted, crossing his arms. “Only the nerdy ones though.”

“Like you?”

“Like you,” Hartley said pointedly. “What was that about?”

“I didn’t like that guy,” Cisco defended himself with a shrug. “I mean, who picks up random guys at bars.”

Hartley stared at him.

“Everyone in here,” he said dryly, “including you.”

“Tch,” Cisco scoffed.

Hartley narrowed his eyes.

“... Were you jealous?”

“No!” Cisco’s face scrunched up in exaggerated denial.

“What, was it because I wasn’t utterly failing?” Hartley continued.

“I just didn’t trust the guy!” Cisco threw up his arms before glancing around to see if anyone was watching them.

“You were jealous!” Hartley said, grinning now. “Cisquito, I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“I am not, I do not, I’m leaving,” Cisco waved his arms and started backing away. “This didn’t happen, you’re wrong.”

Hartley laughed and hurried to catch up to Cisco as he walked away.

“I’m a bit flattered actually,” he said, catching up at the door to the bar as Cisco stepped outside. The air was refreshingly cool after the stuffy atmosphere of the bar. “I didn’t know you were interested.”

“Shut up,” Cisco whined, “this is the thanks I get...”

Hartley snorted.

“You were jealous,” he insisted, smiling. 

Cisco scowled as they walked down the street.

“Cisco?” 

The other man didn’t answer.

“Cisco!” Hartley tried again.

“What?” Cisco groaned, barely glancing over at Hartley.

“Is that a wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

Cisco groaned and covered his face with his hands.

“I just created a monster, didn’t I?”

“You make my huffle puff.”

“That was... that was horrible.”


	18. Gen - Hartley Recovering from a Hostage Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The reason hartley hasnt been seen since last season hes been kidnapped by a baddie for information/leverage over someone (his parents?) team d him by accident then rescue him, cue feeling awful for not noticing hed disappeared, guilty cisco helping hartley recover from his trauma and adjust to a happy life with team flash, bonus points for cisco buying hartley rats to help him- love ur blog buddy
> 
>  
> 
> It doesn't fit the prompt exact but it's a mix of a plotbunny idea I was actually playing with but knew I'd never write so... yay for getting that plotbunny dealt with AND a prompt fill!

The room was small and cramped with only a single light in the middle of the room. It was, originally and by the very loosest terms, a lab though it was so claustrophobic that no one really had any use for it. Team Flash had taken to using it for storage before Hartley...

Cisco sighed through his nose as he watched from the doorway.

There was a metal worktable in the room, along with a few storage containers, toolboxes, and the like. Hartley wasn’t at any of them. Instead, the man sat at the far corner of the room, his knees drawn up and his arms draped over them. If he knew Cisco was there, he didn’t show it, instead he stared in the middle distance.

A thousand yard stare...

Ever since it happened, Hartley had basically started living at STAR Labs, barely eating or sleep or doing anything really. If someone spoke to him, he sometimes answered, if someone asked for his help, it might break him out of whatever this was for a few hours, at most, but he always ended up back here. Staring.

Barry had tried to talk to him but Barry seemed to be the only person Hartley refused to speak to.

Cisco knew that feeling, wanting to put the blame on someone even if that person wasn’t at fault. He had done the same when Dante died, blaming Barry for not going back in time to save him. But it hadn’t been Barry’s fault then and it wasn’t Barry’s fault now. 

Well, no more Barry’s fault than any of theirs.

None of them had thought to check up on Hartley, not even for a friendly chat, for ages. It had been almost a year since they had last spoken and it had been nothing but radio silence since. They were suppose to be friends after what they went through with Evil Wells, Hartley had even appeared to save the day when the Time Wraith had attacked Barry.

They were friends.

They should have done something earlier. If they had, maybe the last three months would have been different for Hartley. Maybe what happened just two weeks ago could have been prevented.

Cisco reached up and knocked on the open door.

Hartley didn’t move.

“Hey,” Cisco said softly, knowing Hartley could hear him. He held up a white plastic bag. “I brought you some food... you like Sesame Chicken, right?”

Hartley didn’t move.

Cisco sighed and entered the room anyway, setting the food on the single table before walking over to Hartley, sitting down beside him.

The only sign Hartley made that he knew Cisco was there was to move his arms from his knees to between his legs, moving just slightly away from Cisco.

Cisco ducked his head.

Even this small movement was an improvement. After it had first happened, Hartley would either not register any of them at all or would jerk away, putting as much distance between them all as he could. 

“Hart, when was the last time you ate?” Cisco asked, soft so he wouldn’t startle the other in case he wasn’t as there as he thought.

Hartley shrugged, still staring in front of him.

“When was the last time you slept?”

Another shrug.

Cisco nodded to himself. He had thought as much.

The day they got the call about the First National bank being robbed, they had thought it would just be the run-of-the-mill robbers, maybe a meta they had fought before that had gotten away.

They hadn’t expected the Pied Piper.

It had taken them all by surprise, especially when Hartley sent Barry flying through the front windows of the bank. They hadn’t known what to do at first, their history with Hartley being so complex, but they had all agreed on one thing: Hartley wasn’t a thief.

Hartley had followed Barry out of the windows and blasted him again with just the right frequency to actually shattered Barry’s eardrums with his gloves. He had stood over Barry and they had heard him tell Barry to stay out of his way.

If Barry hadn’t noticed the way Hartley had been blinking, they might have considered that Hartley had switched sides.

Blinkblinkblink Blink Blink Blink blinkblinkblink

S.O.S

Cisco had thought that was something that only happened on TV, blinking code when one couldn’t speak, but that was what it was. When they looked over the tapes from the bank, through it all, Hartley had been blinking.

‘Help Me’

‘Have Family’

‘Mansion’

They should have come up with a better plan, should have found a way to talk to Hartley without being found out, should have figured out who they were dealing with. They should have done something other than going straight the Rathaway Mansion just outside of Central City. They should have tried to figure out who was behind all of this... 

They should have known it wouldn’t have been that easy, that if it were, Hartley would have taken care of it himself.

They should have done so many things differently.

When it was all over, Hartley had been in no condition to talk, covered in blood and shaking in Barry’s arms. Barry had to all but carry the other man to a bed in their small ‘medical’ bay. 

‘Mirror Master’, Barry told them softly as Hartley curled up on his side and stared at the blood that covered his hands, ‘I wasn’t fast enough...’

Cisco pushed away the memory. 

It had taken days for Hartley to check back in enough to tell them what had happened – how Mirror Master had blackmailed then kidnapped the heads of the Rathaway family, the way he had planned to take their money but found too many fail-safes and loopholes that protected that wealth too well – trying to steal any worthwhile amount would have set off so many alarms that it was hardly worth it. 

So Mirror Master found an alternative in Hartley and that was the beginning of the end. 

He had killed the Rathaways because Hartley had foiled him. He gained nothing from it, not even his freedom, he just wanted to hurt Hartley as much as possible because he could.

Cisco remembered the day he found out about Dante, he remembered feeling shock and disbelief, he remembered shaking so badly he couldn’t hold his phone. He and Dante hadn’t gotten along, there were days he thought he hated him but he had still cried like a child in his mother’s arms when he saw his brother’s body on that metal table...

He couldn’t imagine how he’d have reacted if he had seen Dante’s death firsthand.

Cisco glanced over at Hartley but the man still stared straight ahead. 

Now was as good a time as ever...

Cisco climbed to his feet and grabbed the plastic bag off the table. He sat back down beside Hartley and set the bag in front of him. He reached in and pulled out a furry plush toy before he, unceremoniously, dropped it into Hartley’s lap.

Hartley looked down at the gray lump with a small frown and Cisco, no matter what happened next, considered that a victory. Hartley reached down and held the toy in his hands, turning it over.

With large felt ear and tiny felt teeth, the toy rat may or may not have been made to be a pet’s chew toy rather than something for a person but Cisco thought it was cute enough and, really, wasn’t everything a pet’s chew toy in the end?

“I remembered you liked rats,” Cisco said, looking back at the bag to pull their food out. “Uh, sorry if it smells like take out...”

Hartley stared at the toy rat in his hands, looking it over.

“Uh, your food is here...” Cisco set the takeout container beside Hartley where he could easily reach it if he wanted it. “You know, uh, I was thinking... I could really use, like, a roommate? Like, save some money on rent...”

Cisco glanced up and trailed off.

Hartley was staring at him.

Cisco swallowed.

“I-If you’re interested that is,” he stammered a bit. It wasn’t exactly a new offer. The entire team had tried similar tactics, just trying to get Hartley to get out of the labs for a bit, see the sun and feel the air... maybe get some sleep on an actual bed. It never worked, even on Hartley’s good days.

Hartley stared at Cisco for a moment then looked back at the rat plush in his hands.

“I miss them...” Hartley’s voice was rough from disuse and it sounded painful and dry.

Cisco’s face softened as Hartley blinked suddenly wet eyes.

“I know,” Cisco said softly, gently pressing his knee against Hartley’s to see how he’d react to being touched. He didn’t move away. “You know we’re all here for you, Hartley.”

Hartley nodded and, to Cisco’s surprise, he tucked the rat against his stomach, hugging it to him. Then, a second surprise, he reached for the take out Cisco had set aside for him.

“Thank you, Cisco,” Hartley said softly, more a whisper than a statement. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Cisco smiled, relief flooding through him as Hartley took a tentative bite of his food.

It was the first time any of them had actually succeeded in bringing Hartley back from one of these moods. It seemed so small, having Hartley accept food and human contact, to have him speak without prompting, but it felt huge and important now.

They still had a long way to go but for the first time in weeks, Cisco felt the beginning glow of hope that they – that Hartley - hadn’t quite lost this battle yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the comics (well, pre-52 at least) the second Mirror Master killed Hartley's parents and framed him for it... so there's that.


	19. Hartmon - Teenage Flirting with Your Brother's Musical Rival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hartmon AU? Teen Dante and Hartley are terrifyingly competitive about music (you don't even favor the same instrument you guys). Cisco Does Not Care (team Asshole Brother, but really, why this), he mostly resents always being dragged along to Dante's lessons and recitals and having to listen to this too. He starts to care for sure once Hartley starts maybe flirting with Cisco. To Dante's annoyance. Which is kinda funny. Which may also be the point? Which... should be simple enough but isn't.
> 
>  
> 
> Another case of 'maybe not quite fitting the prompt exact' but I think the bones are there.

On this very night, teenagers from all over the country are converging with one goal in mind: to win. They have prepared for this night, had done their time, paid their dues as he had, and yet fate had intervened, taking this once in a lifetime opportunity away from him.

It didn’t seem like much but you only got to play on release day once! It’s not like they were going to release _Skyrim_ ever again! 

Cisco sunk down lower in the uncomfortable lobby chair.

He had had everything ready to go – the computer was updated, he had snacks and drinks on hand, and he was ready for the long haul of getting, at least, a quarter of the main quest done.

And then his parents had interrupted.

Why’d they even want him to come to Dante’s stupid competition anyway? Dante didn’t want him there, he didn’t want to be there... this wasn’t ‘support’, this was torture. It was bad enough he had to sit through Dante’s practices, lessons, recitals, and concerts. Couldn’t they have just given him this one night?!

Cisco shifted in the hard lobby seat and crossed his arms. 

His parents might have made him come but like hell was he going to watch anyone other than Dante and the end when they announced the winner of the scholarship or whatever it was they were competing for.

He should have brought his DS.

He checked his watch and groaned – it was still another hour before Dante was even scheduled to go on stage!

“Waiting for something?”

Cisco jumped at the unexpected question.

A boy about his age was standing in front of the lobby doors, a flute case in his hands. He had neatly parted brown hair, thick glasses, and a smattering of freckles along his face and neck. He was scrawny and not much taller than Cisco – meaning he was kind of short... and he was looking at him with something between curiosity and annoyance.

“Uh, my brother,” Cisco said with a frown. “He plays the piano but he’s not suppose to go on for a while yet.” He looked at the instrument case in the other boy’s hands. “Are you late or something?”

The other boy’s eyes narrowed behind the glasses. 

“You look familiar,” he said, glancing back to the lobby doors that would lead to the concert hall then back to Cisco. “Are you Ramon’s brother?”

Cisco fought the urge to groan. He hated being referred to as Dante’s brother – he was his own person, thank you.

“Dante’s my brother, yeah,” Cisco said tightly. “Though I prefer to be called Cisco, thanks.”

The boy studied him for a moment, looking him over. He seemed to decide on something. He took a step away from the doors and moved over to Cisco, sitting down a chair away from him, setting his flute on the floor by his feet.

“Why are you out here then? If your brother is competing?”

Cisco shrugged. “Not really into the classical scene.” 

“Hmm,” the boy was turned in the seat to face him. “You didn’t bring headphones?”

“My mom confiscated them,” Cisco admitted darkly.

The other boy’s mouth twitched.

“Such a shame,” he said and Cisco got the feeling he was being teased. “Are you sure you’re Dante’s brother? He usually likes listening to other people play – it makes it easier to be judgmental of them even if they’re playing an instrument he has no idea how to hold much less play.”

Sounds like Dante was making friends and networking like he always claimed he was.

“I sense a history there.”

The other boy shrugged.

“I see it a lot. Someone is good at one instrument and they assume they’ll be good at them all. Typically, that gets beaten – metaphorically usually – out of them but some hold onto that assumption.”

“Did he try to play your flute?” Cisco asked.

The other boy’s smirk widened.

Cisco realized what he had just said.

“No, I mean!” Cisco stammered, his cheeks heating up. “You know what I meant!”

“He tried to play _a_ flute. I wouldn’t let him touch mine,” the boy laughed, shaking his head. “When he couldn’t make anything other than a screech, he decided flutes were pointless and an accompaniment instrument, not suitable for solo performances.” 

“Yeah, that sounds like Dante,” Cisco sighed.

“Then he dared me to play a real instrument,” the boy continued and Cisco could swear that was a not-quite nice twinkling in his eyes. “So I played a bit of Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu for him. He wasn’t pleased.”

It was obvious that the boy was very pleased.

A small part of Cisco wanted to defend Dante, to say that his brother works hard on his music, even if he was insufferable about it...

But a larger part – the part that had to experience Dante’s insufferableness firsthand – was as amused as the boy was.

“If you’re so good on the piano, why are you playing flute?” Cisco nodded toward the case at the boy’s feet.

“It’s different,” the boy shrugged, “I’m hoping that’ll score more points with the judges.”

Cisco nodded, not really understanding the thought behind it but not wanting to admit that.

“I’m Hartley, by the way,” the boy said before offering his hand.

Cisco stared at it for a moment before shaking it.

“Hartley Rathaway?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. “‘Spoiled, rich brat jerk’ Hartley?”

“I usually just go by Hartley,” Hartley said, his smile a tiny bit strained.

“Sorry,” Cisco apologized with a small smile. “You, uh, you really got under Dante’s skin.”

Hartley’s smile brightened and Cisco thought that, perhaps, his brother wasn’t entirely wrong about the ‘jerk’ part of his complaint.

He could live with that.

“So, uh,” Cisco ran a hand through his hair, which was uncomfortably short for his taste, “this competition is for a scholarship or something, right? If you’re rich like Dante says you are, why are you...?”

“My parents are rich,” Hartley said, shaking his head. “We, uh, had a falling out a few months ago and I’ve been living with my aunt ever since. I’d rather not have to grovel to my parents for college money.”

Cisco nodded. That sounded fair.

“Sorry,” he said softly, “about your parents, I mean.”

Hartley looked him over again before he leaned over the chair between them and motioned for Cisco to move closer. Cisco hesitated a moment before he leaned over to meet Hartley halfway.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Hartley said softly, “but you’re a lot cuter than your brother.”

Cisco felt his cheeks heat up.

Well... okay... wow.

“Uh, thanks...” Before Cisco could get the word out completely, Hartley leaned forward and kissed his cheek before pulling back just as quickly. It was more a brush of lips against his skin but it was still a kiss.

“For good luck,” Hartley said with a grin.

“What do I need luck for?” Cisco asked, feeling a bit dumb with shock and a warm tingling in his chest.

“The luck is for me,” Hartley clarified before reaching down to pick up his flute case.

“Oh,” Cisco nodded, “Good luck.”

“Thanks, Cisquito,” Cisco wasn’t sure how he felt about that nickname. Hartley winked at him before standing and pushing his way through the lobby doors.

Cisco stared at the door for a moment, watching them swing closed, before he fell back into his chair.

He really underestimated how interesting Dante’s performances could be if this was the kind of thing that happened during them.

He still wished he had his DS though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Cisco, Skyrim will be rereleased for many years to come...


	20. Hartmon - (Mpreg/Trans!Hartley) Hartley comes back with a special addition for the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: In which Hartley returns to Central City in order to join Team Flash for good as well as announce that a new member (read: his and Cisco's unborn child) will be joining soon.
> 
>  
> 
> Though this is more them planning on telling the Team. I felt this prompt was similar to one I've done before so I had to mix it up a little bit. I've almost been asked on my previous Mpreg on why I didn't have Hartley trans instead of going the MPreg route. 
> 
> So this was a mix of this prompt and the other, not quite, prompt. I hope nobody minds. This is also the first time I wrote a character as trans so...

“Are you sure you don’t want me to open a breach for you?” Cisco asked, holding the last of the cardboard boxes. They had spent the entire day packing up Hartley’s apartment and Cisco had been jumping back and forth from Central City to New York City and back, carrying Hartley’s things to their new home.

“I’m sure,” Hartley smiled, patting down the tape that held the box shut. He couldn’t see how Cisco wasn’t exhausted. Just watching him was tiring him out. “Maybe another time when I’m not so... fragile.”

Cisco’s pout turned into a grin at the reminder.

“Yeah, that’s not something I want to test out, now that you mention it,” he agreed, leaning forward to steal a quick kiss while Hartley was still close.

The past year had been quite the ride, to say the least. The whole thing was Savitar and Iris, Barry going into the Time Force and coming back out – he was still waiting for a proper explanation on that one! - and Caitlin going her own way to figure how just who she was now... in a way, it was what lead to this.

When he had called Hartley all those months ago, lonely wanting _someone_ to reminisce with, Hartley had been the first, and possibly only, choice.

What had started as a pathetic, lonely calls to an ex-coworker had turned into not quite as pathetic but still kind of lonely calls to a sort of friend. The calls became chats, the chats became going for drinks – a possible abuse of Cisco’s powers, opening up breaches just to go across the country for a beer – then the drinks became dates and now here they were.

Somehow, in the six months since Cisco had first called him, they had found a way through all the baggage and nonsense that had always been between them. They had already trusted each other with their lives – fighting Evil Wells had seen to that – but now they trusted each other with everything else.

The first night they had decided to actually have sex, Hartley had been so nervous and skittish that Cisco had worried he had been looking into their relationship all wrong.

That hadn’t been the case.

Hartley took his hand and sat down with him on the couch and told him the entire truth.

He hadn’t just been disowned for being gay but for being trans. It had been something that was only on his medical records and only something Evil Wells had been known when they worked at STAR Labs. It had been a special request from Hartley that it been need to know only.

As much of an evil bastard as Eobard Thawne was, at least he hadn’t been a transphobic evil bastard.

Hartley told Cisco everything: his birth name, when he realized he was actually a boy and how that complicated the whole sexuality thing. He showed Cisco the scars on his chest from his top surgery and warned him that he hadn’t done anything below the belt wasn’t sure he was going to.

“Do you still want me?” Hartley had asked, his voice uncharacteristically unsure and even scared. Cisco never wanted to hear Hartley sound like that again.

Cisco had kissed him in response, pouring all the love and desire he felt for the other man into that kiss so that Hartley could never doubt it again.

“My plane will be in at 8 tonight,” Hartley reminded him, breaking him out of the memory. 

Cisco smiled and nodded.

“Do you want to go straight home or do you want to surprise everyone at STAR Labs?” Cisco asked, readjusting the box in his arms. “We haven’t even told them we’re dating...”

“Hmm,” Hartley smirked, pretending to think on it for a moment. “I do want to see the looks on their faces when we make that particular announcement.”

“And the announcement after that?” Cisco filled in dryly. “Are you sure you want to do that so quickly? I mean, you kept... everything... under wraps for so years. Telling them you’re pregnant is going to raise some questions.”

“I’m sure,” Hartley nodded and shrugged. “I know and trust all of you and I trust you to make friends with people who are trustworthy. This’ll be the first time I’m meeting Mr. Albert.”

“You’ll like him,” Cisco said but paused. “Or you’ll hate him. He’s kind of like you in that regard.”

Hartley rolled his eyes.

“I think the most we’ll have to worry about is picking out the godparents. They’ll be fighting over that for ages.”

“Iris,” Hartley decided, almost instantly. “The godfather we’ll have to talk about. Maybe have a contest.”

“Only the most worthy?” Cisco smirked, nodding along in agreement.

Hartley smiled and leaned over to steal a quick kiss.

“You’d better get going,” he said, reluctantly, against Cisco’s lips. “My flight is in an hour and I expect a fully stocked kitchen when I get there...”

Cisco kissed Hartley’s lips before pulling back.

“Pickles and chocolate?” he asked with a sigh of resignation.

“And mint ice cream,” Hartley smiled as a brief look of disgust crossed Cisco’s face. “See you soon, Love.”

“I’ll be watching your flight for any sign of trouble and panic unnecessarily the entire time,” Cisco promised with a smile.

“You say the sweetest things,” Hartley sighed, leaning down to pick up his suitcase which was the only thing left in the apartment. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Cisco smiled and disappeared in a swirl of blue energy.

He had some grocery shopping to do and a boyfriend, potential husband, to please.

**Author's Note:**

> My crappy mess of a tumblr is found here: http://kariki.tumblr.com/


End file.
